A tragic incident unfolded in Moscow on Monday morning when a Russian general was killed as an explosive device detonated beneath his car. This attack marks the third assassination of a senior military officer within a year, raising concerns about security within the Russian military ranks. The deceased, Lt. Gen. Fanil Sarvarov, served as the head of the Operational Training Directorate of the Russian Armed Forces’ General Staff. He succumbed to his injuries shortly after the explosion, according to Svetlana Petrenko, the spokesperson for Russia’s Investigative Committee.
Following the attack, investigators have indicated that they are exploring multiple lines of inquiry into the general's murder. Petrenko stated, “One of these is that the crime was orchestrated by Ukrainian intelligence services.” This assertion highlights the ongoing tensions between Russia and Ukraine, particularly in the context of the conflict that has gripped the region.
This incident is not isolated. Just over a year ago, on December 17, 2022, another high-ranking officer, Lt. Gen. Igor Kirillov, who was the chief of the military’s nuclear, biological, and chemical protection forces, was killed in a similar manner. He was targeted by a bomb hidden on an electric scooter parked outside his apartment building. His assistant was also killed in that attack, which Ukraine’s security service claimed responsibility for. Following that incident, an Uzbek man was arrested and charged with carrying out the killing on behalf of the Ukrainian security service.
In the aftermath of Kirillov’s assassination, Russian President Vladimir Putin described the killing as a “major blunder” by Russia’s security agencies. He emphasized the need for these agencies to learn from such incidents and enhance their operational efficiency to prevent future attacks.
In April of this year, the pattern of violence against Russian military officials continued. Lt. Gen. Yaroslav Moskalik, a deputy head of the main operational department in the General Staff, was killed by an explosive device placed in his car, which was parked near his apartment building just outside Moscow. Authorities quickly apprehended a suspected perpetrator in relation to this attack, but the ongoing trend of targeted killings raises serious questions about the safety of military personnel in Russia.
The recent assassination of Lt. Gen. Fanil Sarvarov underscores the volatile situation in the region and the potential for further escalations as investigations continue into the involvement of Ukrainian intelligence in these attacks.